Healthy Holiday Survival Guide

Healthy Holiday Survival Guide

All Year long, we exercise, eat right and

and stay on track.

Then comes

Staying fit and active during the holiday season is possible!

HolidaySeason

HolidaySeason

HolidaySeason

The Holid

aySeaso

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Don’t let family dinners, holiday parties and abundant sweets ruin all your hard work!

There are obstacles to overcome, but it can be accomplished, with these tips on:

• Workouts

• Nutrition

• Survive the Parties

• Staying Healthy while Traveling

• Healthy Family Activities

• Managing Holiday Stress

Exercise

Slacking off over the holidays can diminish all of your progress. Learn how to stay in shape while still enjoying the holiday season.

Be Prepared

• write your workouts in your calendar now, before the holidays chaos ensues

• schedule workouts early in the day

• recruit a training partner

• schedule a workout just prior to holiday gatherings to ease stress

• have a “plan B” for times when you can’t get to the workout

• keep a log of bodyweight only and exercises that use bands, so if you can’t get to the gym, you’re still prepared (like these from @ACEFitness)

Pack fitness videos, comfortable walking shoes, a bathing suit, tubes, bands or other gear that you can fit in

your bag.

Pack fitness videos, comfortable walking shoes, a bathing suit, tubes, bands or other gear that you can fit in

your bag.

Exercise

Try these tips for making the most of the time you’ve scheduled:

• choose exercises that move as many body parts as possible: squats, presses, dead lifts (See the samples of multi-joint exercises @Livestrong)

• choose exercises that move the body quickly: lunges, treadmill sprints and fast cycling

• chooses exercises you don’t usually do, for example if you usually do bench press, try standing cable chest presses

• create your own 30-minute workout combing three lower body (squats or lunges) and three upper body (push-ups or dips) exercises

Nutrition

During the holiday season, the average American gains anywhere from 2.5 to 12 pounds. To prevent falling victim to the holiday bulge, try these tips:

• keep a training and nutrition journal & write down your goals for the holiday season

• drink water! water keeps our metabolism running smoothly & aids in the digestion of food

• don’t skip meals, eat smaller meals throughout the day, this will help curb your appetite at holiday events

• moderation! make some tradeoffs, go ahead and eat a small piece of pie, but remember to think in moderation before going for seconds

• liquid calories count, minimize alcohol and other calorie packed holiday drinks (More tips here from @WomensHealthMag)

List your top 2-3 favorite treatsduring the holidays and

commit to having only those.

Surviving the Parties

Try these tips to save upwards of 2000 calories:

• rest up, recent studies have shown sleep deprived adults ate approximately 300 more calories each day

• choose wisely from the buffet, you’re likely to consume the largest amount of the foods you pick first

• pour carefully, count 1-2-3 when pouring a glass of wine will give you an approximate 5 oz serving, about 90 calories

• liquid calories add up quickly, a glass of eggnog 200 calories, a margarita 270 calories (More calorie counts @WebMD)

• downsize your plate, choose an appetizer or salad plate and save nearly 1000 calories

• move around the room, socialize or get up and dance, 15 minutes of ‘social’ dancing will burn about 80 calories

Before the party have a small snack of nuts, string cheese

and a few whole grain crackers will mean you're arriving at the

party satisfied already, not starving.

Before the party have a small snack of nuts, string cheese

and a few whole grain crackers will mean you're arriving at the

party satisfied already, not starving.

Healthy Travel If you plan on traveling during the holidays, be prepared with these tips ◦ pack healthy snacks so you’ll have something on hand when hunger strikes @FitnessMagazine

◦ make sleep a top priority the night before your trip

◦ stay active, if you’re flying wear comfortable shoes and walk around the airport while waiting to board, if you’re driving take breaks every 2 or 3 hours to walk around and get some air

◦ skip the in flight cocktail and caffeinated beverage, your best bet, drinking plenty of water

◦ plug in to stay on track, websites and fitness apps let you track your daily exercise and nutrition

◦10 Ways to Upgrade Holiday Travel @HuffPost

Focus on friends and family instead of food. Slow down and catch up with your loved ones.

Play games, volunteer, or spend time outdoors enjoying

the weather together.

Focus on friends and family instead of food. Slow down and catch up with your loved ones.

Play games, volunteer, or spend time outdoors enjoying

the weather together.

Healthy Family Activity

The trick to staying healthy is to plan ahead and make the season work for you:

•drive to a neighborhood know for the best holiday lights, then spend the evening walking around enjoying the scenery

• sign up for a holiday 5k or fun run in your area

• build a snowman, have a snowball fight, make snow angels or go sledding

• visit a Christmas tree farm, pick out a tree, wreath or greenery

• revive the Christmas caroling tradition, spread some holiday cheer in your neighborhood

• more ideas

If you overindulge, get back on track, stop eating for the night and focus on spending the rest

of your time with the people around you.

If you overindulge, get back on track, stop eating for the night and focus on spending the rest

of your time with the people around you.

Managing Holiday Stress

The holidays can add a lot of additional stress to your already hectic schedule. To keep the holidays happy, try  one of these stress-busters on an ‘as needed’ basis ◦ walk away - take a twenty minute walk, clear you mind, enjoy the solitude

◦ volunteer, doing unto others takes your mind off the stresses of your day

◦ consider a potluck for your holiday meal,  host makes the main dish, provides drinks, guests bring the sides (See more from Food Network’s Alton Brown @huffpost)

◦ be flexible, things change, include some of your favorite traditions in the holiday, but be open to trying new ones

◦ do not overspend! find simple ways to enjoy the season without going into debt

◦ more tips from @huffpost

A little planning helps you take the necessary steps to make the

most of the seasons.

Happy Holidays!

A little planning helps you take the necessary steps to make the

most of the seasons.

Happy Holidays!